Relive Historic 2011 Daytona 500

One Hour Documentary Special On March 13 On FOX To Feature

Never-Before-Seen Footage From Trevor Bayne’s Improbable Run to Victory

Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Phoenix International Raceway

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 7, 2011) — The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and FOX Sports announced that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ open weekend in mid-March will now deliver a never-before-seen look at the 2011 Daytona 500.

Co-produced by Emmy Award winning NASCAR Media Group and FOX Sports, “The Daytona 500: The American Dream” will be a one-hour documentary special delivering fresh and never-before-seen footage from Trevor Bayne’s historic run to Victory Lane.

“The Daytona 500: The American Dream” will air on Sunday, March 13 at 1 p.m. ET.

Bayne, who won the Great American Race on his first try, in just his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, has been credited by some experts as securing the most improbable victory in the 53-year history of the Daytona 500. One day after his 20th birthday, Bayne piloted his No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to Victory Lane a few short hours after NASCAR and its huge family of fans looked to the heavens to pay a solemn tribute to one of its most revered icons, Dale Earnhardt.

“The show sounds really awesome,” Bayne said. “It was obviously a special day for me, but to be able to relive what that race meant for the Wood Brothers is something that I think we’ll all cherish for a long time. Believe it or not, I haven’t had time to sit and watch the entire race, so I look forward to watching the show and seeing how it all went down.”

Narrated by the people who witnessed the evolution of Bayne and the rebirth of the No. 21 team, “The American Dream” will combine race footage from 22 different cameras along with archival footage from Bayne’s career and the earlier glory years of the Wood Brothers. In addition, the documentary will feature extensive crew chief and driver audio as well as wired audio sound from the race.

A few highlights of the documentary:
· NASCAR on FOX announcers Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip describing how Bayne caught their eye with his third fastest qualifying speed.
· Three-time Daytona 500 Champion, Jeff Gordon, speaking in great detail about how he trusted a rookie to safely push him to the front of the field.
· Audio of Bayne’s pre-race prayer in which we hear him ask his crew to “keep the faith.”
· Donnie Wingo, Bayne’s crew chief, telling the story of his crew repairing the No. 21 Ford just two days before the Daytona 500 after a last-lap accident in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.

“Trevor Bayne’s victory in Daytona was one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history,” said Paul Brooks, senior vice president of NASCAR and president of NASCAR Media Group. “It was a historic moment in which youth was served by a win for the ages. We are excited that FOX Sports will be offering fans around the country the opportunity to see this race in a way it has never been seen before.”

Bayne, the fresh-faced, 300-1 long shot, set himself up for a bright future while driving one of the most iconic cars of NASCAR’s past into Daytona 500 Victory Lane for the first time since the legendary David Pearson did so in 1976.

“The 2011 Daytona 500 will go down as one of the most memorable NASCAR races of all time,” said FOX Sports executive producer, co-president and COO Eric Shanks. “It began with a tribute to a legend and ended with a 20-year old in victory lane, and this documentary chronicles those moments and many more.”